Although the title might sound like the sort of track fellow Compton -ites, NWA would have gone for, things have changed in the 35 or so years since they called it a day. So although the title is a suitably incendiary choice for artists based in West Coast rap’s most sacred ground, here, in the current age, the revolution is more subliminal and subtle.
Whereas the aforementioned icons proposed beating the system by smashing it to the ground, Holland Izz & Tayo Fetti instead adopt the attitude that “success is the best revenge”: the best way to beat the system is to better it, something achieved by unity and support of those around you rather than NWA’s sonic hit-and-run approach.
This more gently subversive vibe runs through the music too, carried by more mellifluous G-Funk buoyancy and a recognisable West Coast hip-hop sound that blends cutting-edge grace with energised yet more nostalgic grooves. Strange sonics swirl and skitter through; deft percussion pools in the spaces between the defining beats, and succulent sound washes dance over the funk-infused bass lines.
And as warm and welcoming as the music is- and it certainly is- it is the video that adds the finishing touches. Something about the Pacific sun streaming down, being surrounded by the trappings of success, the fun being had, the optimism, and the celebratory sound, all makes this such an effortlessly engaging experience.
Smashing the system might seem a revolutionary act , but out-pacing, out-playing, out-performing the competition and the system that tries to contol everyone, is where it is at today. That’s how Holland Izz & Tayo Fetti beat the system.
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